Chapter 186 - 135: Shocking the World

Chapter 186: Chapter 135: Shocking the World

Shen Xing snapped back to his senses and shot his head up.

Countless daggers, glinting coldly, sliced through the air, forming a net of death that descended upon him.

A woman with short black hair and an ice-cold expression launched a simultaneous attack with several other Assassin-type Soldier Types.

Seeing this, not only were the Lords inside the Illusion Realm in disbelief, but the spectators outside also cried out in alarm!

"It’s the fourth-ranked Asada Hitomi and her squad of Assassins! That woman is actually making a move on Shen Xing too!"

"I knew it! With Lachlan’s personality, there was no way he’d give up that easily. So this was his hidden card!"

"Shen Xing is in big trouble this time!"

The forums of every country erupted in an uproar.

No one had expected Lachlan to have such a deadly move hidden away.

This was equivalent to two of the world’s top-ranked powerhouses ganging up on Shen Xing alone.

Even Dolores never received such treatment.

And it all happened too suddenly, with no warning whatsoever.

In the Celestial Star Country’s forum livestream, the comments exploded in an instant.

Some cursed Lachlan for his shamelessness, ganging up with other experts for a sneak attack.

Others worried for Shen Xing, afraid he would be overtaken at the last second.

But no matter how much they cursed or what comments they posted, they couldn’t influence the Lords currently in the challenge.

...

「Inside the Illusion Realm.」

Shen Xing sat on the Horned Eagle’s back with Reina standing behind him.

Gazing at the overwhelming assault from above, he rapidly formulated a countermeasure in his mind.

’This is a meticulously planned ambush by Lachlan. He used himself to draw my attention, then had another top player sneak attack me.’

’This is a kill box. I can’t use items inside the Illusion Realm, so there’s no way to dodge this blow.’

’In that case, my only option is to save Reina. I’ll have her take command and hold out for the last five minutes.’

’With her perception, she might even be able to kill a few more Rain God Avatars and keep me in second place.’

In a flash, he made his decision.

He spun around abruptly and, to Reina’s utter disbelief, tackled her, pushing her down beneath him.

The soft sensation was surprisingly warm.

Shen Xing had no time to process it before sharp daggers slashed across his back.

SHIIINK! SHK SHK SHK!!

The sound of flesh being torn rang out again and again.

Speaking of which, this was the first time Shen Xing had ever been injured in the game. He couldn’t help but marvel at how damn realistic the pain was.

It felt as if someone had truly carved into him a thousand times. The excruciating pain shot up his spine and spread through his entire body, leaving him unable to even cry out.

Even the Horned Eagle beneath him was caught in the crossfire. Countless gashes, deep enough to reveal bone, were carved into its back. Blood and Feathers flew everywhere.

"SKREEE—"

The poor Horned Eagle let out a pained cry and plummeted straight down onto the platform below.

At that moment, Reina was still in a daze.

When she came to her senses, she saw the man who was always in his wheelchair, the master strategist, lying on top of her.

His face was deathly pale. Blood trickled from his forehead, dripping onto her face.

Reina’s mind felt as if it had been struck by a sledgehammer. She was lost in a state of immense grief and confusion.

"No... No..."

She stared at the face so close to hers and asked blankly, "Why... Why... did you block the attack for me..."

Shen Xing struggled to open his mouth, his voice a mere thread of air. "Lead them... keep fighting..."

As his words faded, all life left his body.

The Red-haired Mage’s body instantly went rigid, like a marionette that had suffered a terrible blow.

She slowly closed her eyes, and two streams of tears slid silently down her cheeks.

A nearby Assassin flicked their dagger clean and glanced indifferently at the bodies on the ground.

"Asada Hitomi, nice work."

Not far away, Lachlan laughed heartily. "As expected of a world-renowned top assassin. You’ve never failed a mission yet."

Then, he looked toward Shen Xing’s corpse, a disdainful smile curling his lips. "You arrogant fool. You thought you could fight me? Now you know who you’re messing with."

"Move out. Wipe out his subordinates as well."

He turned back again, preparing to deal with the remaining Blood Roar, Hei, and the others.

But just then, Reina, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly snapped her eyes open.

A seething, scorching aura of destruction began to rise from within her.

Like a volcano that had been suppressed for years, it even caused the surrounding lake water to boil and the platform to tremble.

Before everyone’s eyes, the red-haired woman slowly rose to her feet.

She ripped off her cloak, revealing the form-fitting Mage’s Robe beneath. Her fiery red hair whipped wildly in the wind like flames.

Her exquisitely beautiful face was now etched with bone-deep killing intent.

Not only that, but for the first time, the Magic Staff she had never before revealed appeared in her hand.

"Hm?"

Lachlan’s brow furrowed slightly. He instinctively felt a sense of unease.

He sensed an extremely dangerous aura from this woman.

It was even... even more terrifying than facing a Tier Three powerhouse!

To prevent any further complications, Lachlan ordered in a low voice, "Kill that woman first."

As soon as he spoke, Asada Hitomi’s squad of Assassins immediately turned and swarmed toward her like a pack of hornets.

But Reina paid no mind to the approaching daggers.

Instead, she raised her head, her crimson eyes locked on Lachlan in the air.

"My whole life, I’ve done nothing but lose. I lost my home, my family, my friends..."

"And now, I had finally found a place to belong, a Lord who treated me with genuine kindness!"

"And you bastards dared to take him away from me!"

Her hate-filled voice echoed all around as her Magic Robe turned from its original grayish-white to a burning crimson, inch by inch.

A terrifying Flame Power erupted from her body.

The fire wasn’t orange-red, but a deep crimson so dark it was almost black, as if it could devour even light itself.

A world-ending aura instantly filled the entire Rain God Illusion Realm.

Even the towering Rain God Avatar in the distance couldn’t help but open its flowing-water eyes and cast a look of astonishment.

If Shen Xing were here, he would have been shocked to discover...

...that on Reina’s panel, her third Hero Skill, which had always been in a [Sealed] State, had actually lit up.

Lachlan also sensed how terrifying Reina had become, and his expression changed drastically.

"Quick! Full power! Kill her!"

Asada Hitomi dared not delay any longer and charged forward at her maximum speed.

However, Reina simply raised her Magic Staff.

"You lowly insects! All of you will turn to ash in the flames of world-ending destruction!"

Her hateful, cold voice rang throughout the entire realm. An infinite torrent of fire rose from her body and spread rapidly in all directions.

Ten meters...

A hundred meters...

A thousand meters...

In an instant, it had enveloped Lachlan, Asada Hitomi, and several other nearby Lords.

Within a few breaths, the flames had engulfed more than half of the Rain God Illusion Realm. Even the colossal Rain God Avatar was entangled in the black-red fire.

And then... there was no ’after’.

Through the livestream view, the other Lords could only see a sea of dark red fire burning fiercely over the lake.

As for Lachlan and Asada Hitomi, the moment the flames touched them, their bodies were instantly charred black.

Then, amid agonized screams, they were burned to ash.

The remaining Lords and Soldier Types were also caught in the disaster, all of them consumed by the great fire.

The flames burned hotter and hotter, as if they would evaporate the entire lake.

After holding on for a dozen or so seconds, the giant Flowing Water Giant also collapsed thunderously.

And on the leaderboard, Shen Xing’s rank suddenly jumped.

[First Place: Shen Xing, Total Damage: 18.8%]

[Second Place: Dolores Jones, Total Output: 9.5%]

[Third Place: Lachlan Dowton, Total Output: 7.5%]

[Fourth Place...]

...

At that moment, the entire world fell silent.

Countless people stared dumbfounded at the sea of fire, at the woman standing tall within the flames, looking just like a World-Ending Demon God.

It wasn’t until a grand system notification sounded in their ears, until the Rain God Illusion Realm completely shattered, that everyone was jolted back to reality.

[Ding! Attention all challengers!]

[The Rain God Illusion Realm challenge has officially concluded. Blessings will be awarded shortly based on final rankings.]

...

At that moment, the comment sections in every country had completely exploded!